The Football Forecast

Big Sam finally has the job that he’s always craved

It is no secret that Sam Allardyce has always wanted the England job. Many believed that he would never receive the honour of managing his country after missing out on the job back in 2006 whilst at Bolton.

But at the ripe old age of 61, he has finally been given the top job in England; he has put pen to paper on a two year deal, which will expire at the end of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

I am personally really pleased with the appointment. Allardyce has consistently shown over the course of his career that he has brilliant man management skills.

Last season, Sunderland secured their Premier League safety for another year – this would have never been possible without Big Sam and his ability to get the utmost out of his players.

The former-Newcastle and Blackburn manager has an evident way of playing, with his players having clear individual roles in order to enforce his system successfully.

This particular trait is a necessity after their Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland. This was a game where it seemed as if England had no plan of how they were going to go about winning the game, which lead to their embarrassing defeat.

Sam Allardyce has received some criticism during his career – mainly whilst at West Ham – through what some see as negative tactics and a defensive style.

But myself and the vast majority of England supporters will presumably agree that if a more direct set-up leads to England having a more successful national team in both the short and long term, we would certainly accept this.

Here is Allardyce’s hilarious reaction to Jose Mourinho’s comments on his style of play during his post-match press conference after West Ham’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea:

With Big Sam as manager, we are likely to see an influx of different players into the England team, who are yet to receive a prolonged opportunity at international level.

Up to now, their lack of opportunities has been a consequence of them playing for so-called unfashionable top flight teams and not for the ‘big’ sides.

This change is long overdue and it should now mean that under-performing players from top clubs will not be guaranteed a place just because of the stature of team they ply their trade for and players look set to be picked on merit.

Englishmen that come under this bracket include Mark Noble, Scott Dann, Jermain Defoe and Danny Drinkwater to name just a few.

Whilst Manchester United manager and long-term friend, Jose Mourinho, has also offered his opinion on the appointment of Allardyce as manager:

“I think he’s the right person for that, yes,” stated Mourinho, “I think he is more than ready. He is a good motivator, he can create a good team spirit with his players and I wish him the best from my side, not just as a friend but as Manchester United manager.”

We now look ahead to the 2018 World Cup Qualification campaign – you would expect England to breeze through and qualify for the upcoming World Cup.

It will be the World Cup and European Championships where Allardyce will be judged.

When you consider his character and experience, he looks best placed out of all the candidates to lead a much improved tournament display compared to recent campaigns once he has analysed the squad at his disposal to create a system which best suits his players.